Trouser mounting device



2 Sheets-Sheet l zs d w Filed Nov. 4, 1968 JERRY N. WWEEAN BY um. 4*.

Des. 16, 1969 J. N. M MILLAN 3,484,028

TROUSER MOUNTING DEVICE Filed Nov. 4, 1968 i 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JERRY N. M MILLAN BY wan w. g4

United States Patent O 3,484,028 TROUSER MOUNTING DEVICE Jerry N. McMillan, Colmac Industries, P.O. Box 167, Colville, Wash. 99114 Filed Nov. 4, 1968, Ser. No. 772,980 Int. Cl. Dflof 91/00, 71/28 US. Cl. 223--73 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to machines for finishing trousers and more particularly to mounting devices in trouser finishing machines for gripping the ends of the trouser legs to align the seams of the legs and to stretch the trousers longitudinally.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide an efiicient device in a trouser finishing machine for gripping and aligning the trouser legs for longitudinally stretching the trouser legs in conjunction with a waistband mounting means.

An additional object of this invention is to provide such a device that is not dependent upon trouser leg inserts but which is effective for removing wrinkles from the trouser legs.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a device that has a thin profile with simple mechanical movements for gripping and releasing the ends of the trouser legs.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention Will become apparent upon the reading of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a trouser finishing machine showing a gripping device in alternate positions for gripping the ends of the trouser legs;

FIG. 2 is an illustrated perspective view of the interior of a portion of the trouser finishing machine showing the waistband of the trousers mounted on a waistband form and the gripping members gripping the ends of the trouser legs to longitudinally stretch the trousers;

FIG. 3 is an illustrated front view of the trouser machine showing a pair of trousers mounted on the machine with the ends of the trousers being gripped by the gripping devices;

P16. 4 is a front view similar to FIG. 3 only showing the release of the trouser gripping means and the ballooning of the trousers by a fluid medium;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the gripping means;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the gripping means shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the gripping means shown in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a trouser finishing machine 10 that has an upright frame 11. A pair of "ice trousers is initially mounted on the machine as illustrated in FIG. 1. Then the pair of trousers is retracted into the machine to be finished.

As part of the machine, a support plate 12 is movably mounted on the frame 11 for supporting a Waistband device 13, principally shown in FIG. 1. The waistband device provides a form on which to mount the waistband of the trousers. An expandable waistband device is shown in more detail in US. Patent Nos. 3,117,704 and 3,415,430. Initially the waistband portion of the trousers is slipped over the waistband device and held thereto by front clips 14. The mounting and movement of the waistband device is more specifically shown in US. Patent No. 3,415,430.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 an aperture 16 is formed through the support plate 12 for permitting the flow of air generated by a fan 17 to flow into the trousers mounted to the waistband device to balloon the trousers to remove the wrinkles. Clamping jaw assemblies 26 and 27 are movably mounted on the machine for gripping the ends of the trouser legs to stretch the trousers longitudinally and to properly align the trousers with respect to pressing elements.

When the trousers are moved from the mounting position as shown in FIG. 1 to the finishing or pressing position shown in FIG. 2, the trousers are aligned with respect to a heated center buck 20. The center buck 20 is mounted on the frame in an upright position for receiving the crotch of the trousers and extending between the trouser legs. Heated movable side chests 21 and 22 are mounted on opposite sides of the center buck for moving inwardly towards the center buck to press the trouser legs therebetween. The clamping jaw assemblies 26 and 27 are mounted between the side bucks and the center buck respectively for aligning the seams of the trouser legs and positioning the trouser legs with respect to the side chests. The clamping jaw assemblies 26 and 27 are movably mounted on rail 24 and 15 that extend downwardly from the support plate 12. The rails 24 and move outwardly with the support plate 12 to the mounting position shown in FIG. 1. When the support plate is retracted, the rails 24 and 25 move back to the pressing position shown in FIG. 2, With the trouser legs in alignment with the side chests 21 and 22 and the center buck 20. Actuators 28 and 29 (pneumatic cylinders) are mounted on the rails 24 and 25 respectively and are connected to the clamping jaw assemblies 26 and 27 for moving the clamping jaw assemblies up and down. The clamping jaw assemblies are moved to the down position to stretch the trousers. At the completion of the trouser finishing the clamping jaw assemblies are moved up as shown in FIG. 1 to facilitate the mounting of another pair of trousers on the machine. In this manner the operator does not need to bend over to an uncomfortable position to mount the trouser legs in the clamping jaw assemblies.

Each of the clamping jaw assemblies 26 and 27 (FIGS. 5, 6 and 7) has a rectangular sleeve 31 that is slidably mounted on a rail for vertical movement therealong. A thin frame element 32 is afiixed to the rectangular sleeve and extends outwardly substantially horizontal therefrom to support a thin stationary blade jaw 33. The blade jaw 33 is elongated and extends substantially horizontal for engaging one side of the trouser leg. An elongated shaft 34 is rotatably mounted in bearings 35 that are affixed to the frame 32. A thin movable blade jaw 36 is afiixed to the shaft 34 facing the stationary blade jaw 33 for engaging the other side of the trouser leg to grip the end of a trouser leg between the movable blade jaw 36 and the stationary blade jaw 33.

An arm 37 is afiixed to the shaft 34 spaced from the blade jaw 36 and adjacent the sleeve 31. An actuator (pneumatic cylinder) 38 is mounted on a bracket 39 and is connected to the arm 37 for pivoting the arm downwardly to open the clamping jaws, i.e., to pivot the moving blade jaw from the stationary blade jaw.

A spring 40 extends between the end of the arm 37 and the bracket 39 of the frame for biasing the moving blade jaw 36 to the closed position against the stationary blade jaw to grip'the end of the trouser legs therebetween.

Initially during the operation of the trouser finishing machine 10, the support plate 12 and the rails 24 and 25 are moved forward so that the waistband device 13 and the clamping jaw assemblies 26 and 27 extend forward of the frame 11 to facilitate the mounting of a pair of trousers thereonspaced from the hot pressing elements 21 and 22. The clamping jaw assemblies 26 and 27 are in the up position shown in the dotted position in FIG. 1. A pedal 42 may be mounted on the floor immediately in front of the trouser finishing machine to operate the actuator 38 to open and close the clamping jaw assemblies.

To mount a pair of trousers on the machine the operator initially takes the back of the waistband and places it behind the waistband device 13 and then slides the forward portion of the waistband under the clips 14. Then each leg is separately placed between the clamping jaw assemblies with the seams of the trousers aligned. After the end of the trousers are positioned in between the blade jaws 33 and 36 and the pedal 42 is operated to close the clamping jaw assemblies. After this is accomplished, the support plate 12 and the waistband device and the clamping jaw assemblies 26 back into the interior of the machine with the crotch of the trousers overlying the center buck 20 and the legs of the trousers between the center buck 20 and the side chests 21 and 22. The actuators 28 and 29 are then operated to move the clamping jaw assemblies 26 and 27 down to stretch the trousers longitudinally.

The fan is operated to blow air, preferably hot air, into the interior of the trousers to balloon the trousers to assist in removing the wrinkles in conjunction with the longitudinal stretching accomplished by the clamping jaw assemblies.

Then the side chests 21 and 22 are moved inwardly. As the side chests 21 and 22 move inward the actuators 38 are activated to move the moving blades 36 away from the stationary blades 33 to release the ends of the trouser legs. The clamping jaw assemblies 26 and 27 then fall to the position that is shown in FIG. 4. The side chests 21 and 22 then continue to move inwardly to press the trouser legs between the side chests and the center buck 20. In this manner the side chests do not engage the clamping jaw assemblies.

Sometimes it is preferable to inject supersaturated steam into the interior of the trousers to moisten and to precondition the trousers.

After the trousers are pressed the side bucks move outwardly and then the support plate 12 moves outward to the position as shown in FIG. 1. The clamping jaw assemblies 26 and 27 are moved upwardly in preparation for receiving a new pair of trousers.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for finishing trousers that has a frame, a waistband device mounted on the frame for receiving and holding the waistband of the trousers, and means mounted on the frame for engaging the ends of the trouser legs to stretch the trousers longitudinally and to align the seams of the trouser legs, wherein the means engaging the ends of the trouser legs includes the improvement of two clamping jaw assemblies mounted on the frame spaced from the waistband device and means operably connected to the clamping jaw assemblies for closing the clamping jaw assemblies to grip the end of the trouser legs with the trouser leg seams aligned.

2. In a machine as defined in claim 1 wherein means are mounted on the frame for moving the clamping jaw assemblies from the waistband device to longitudinally stretch the trousers.

3. In a machine as defined in claim 2 wherein a compressible fluid is passed into the interior of the trousers to balloon the stretched trouser legs.

4. In a machine as defined in claim 3 wherein pressing means are mounted on the frame for moving against the trouser legs as they are ballooned to press the trouser legs.

5. In a machine as defined in claim 4 wherein a means is mounted on the frame for opening the clamping jaw assemblies after the stretched trousers are ballooned.

6. In a machine as defined in claim 2 wherein supersaturated steam is passed into the interior of the trousers to precondition and moisten the trousers.

7. A machine for finishing trousers that has a frame, a waistband device for receiving and supporting the trouser waistband, an upright center buck mounted on the frame, and two spaced movable side chests mounted on the frame on opposite sides of the center buck for moving toward the center buck to press the trouser legs therebetween, in combination with the improvement of:

gripping means mounted on the frame between the center buck and the side chests for gripping the ends of the trousers and stretching the trousers longitudinally, wherein the gripping means includes two clamping jaw assemblies that are movably mounted on upright rails for movement up and down from the waistband device, each clamping jaw assembly having a set of closable blade jaws for gripping the ends of the trouser legs to align the seams of the trouser legs and to stretch the trouser longitudinally.

8. A machine as defined in claim 7 wherein each set of closable blade jaws include a thin stationary elongated blade jaw and a thin movable elongated blade and spring means operably connected to the movable blade jaw for biasing the movable blade jaw against the stationary blade jaw to grip the trouser leg therebetween.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,908,427 10/1959 De Fino et al. 22373 3,144,969 8/1964 Kannegiesser et a1. 22374 3,208,652 9/1965 Zimmermann 223-73 3,405,853 10/ 1968 Carpenter et al. 223-74 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner GEORGE V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner 

